Sanitation Service Delivery Program Quarterly Report

The program aims to improve sanitation outcomes in Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, and Benin by developing and testing scalable business models that engage private sector service providers and by contributing to the creation of a strong enabling environment for sanitation in West Africa. The three countries involved in the program have some of the lowest rates of access to improved sanitation in the world, with rates of 13%, 14%, and 28% respectively. The lack of services for safe disposal and treatment of waste means that even if a household has access to a toilet, the fecal sludge is rarely disposed of appropriately, resulting in poor living conditions and the spread of deadly disease. The program's goal is to improve sanitation outcomes through developing and testing scalable, market-based models that contribute to structural change within the region's sanitation sector. The key results of the program are to increase the use of improved sanitation, increase the use of safe disposal and reuse of fecal waste, and disseminate learning to key stakeholders on market-based approaches. During the first quarter of the project, the main activities involved contracting and initial planning for implementation. The Cooperative Agreement between USAID and PSI became effective on October 1, 2014. Three PATH staff traveled to PSI's Washington, DC office in November 2014 to review and refine the overall project design, develop a timeline for initial project activities, and begin discussing the format and agenda for the January field site visits and February kickoff meeting. The team started secondary research to identify resources, publications, and information gaps in areas such as technology, business operations and models, behavior change, sanitation financing, sanitation governance, and urban sanitation. Results briefs will be prepared for each information bucket to provide a summary of key findings, an analysis of gaps and remaining questions, key stakeholders, and references to the most relevant resources. The three partner organizations reviewed the proposal to update the work plan and revise the project's Monitoring and Evaluation (ME&L) plan. PSI submitted a draft Year 1 Work Plan to USAID on November 21, 2014, and a draft ME&L plan on December 31, 2014. The team also reviewed and provided input on the project impact evaluation, which will be carried out by ASSESS. PSI drafted job descriptions for key field project positions, including managers for micro-financing, enterprise, and engineering activities, and further developed plans for integrating these positions into its existing offices in Benin and Côte d'Ivoire. Procurement for office equipment and supplies for new staff members was launched. During the first week of December, WSUP invited the Chief of Party (COP) and Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP) to visit ongoing WSUP activities in Kumasi and Accra, Ghana, including Clean Team, compound, and public sanitation projects, and engagement with municipal government on the use of public finance for sanitation. PSI and WSUP also met during this time in Accra to discuss their sub-award and the project work plan. The program's estimated financial status is currently being prepared, and the team is in the process of developing the branding and marking plan. Field implementation activities have not yet begun, with a kickoff meeting scheduled for the first week in February, 2015.